August

Let's see...in August I left off with Aurora starting Second Grade.  I'm pleased to report that her teacher is AWESOME and she's been loving it.  We've had no issues at all and she's the top reader and top math wiz in her class!

Alex is still in preschool since his five year birthday was past the cutoff.  We've had some behavior issues with him...mostly because I think he's bored out of his mind since he's been going to the same place for 4 years now!  Academically though, he is doing great learning his numbers and letters and is the resident 'computer expert.'

I also mentioned that we got this little guy...Ratchet.  He's a ball of fun and is so laid back, the kids carry him around, dress him up, or do whatever they want and he just goes along with it!

We also traded in Daddy's car and got him this beautiful new "grown-up" car.  We all love it and it's much safer for the kids!

That about sums up August!

New Baby

We got a new baby in the family!

Meet Ratchet.

We came across him at an Adoptathon at Petsmart a couple of weeks ago.  He's 3 months old and has a very laid back personality.  Alex carries him all around the house and he loves to be in the middle of whatever the kids are doing.

The other cats have taken it pretty well...they only grumbled the first few days.

Ratchet and Freddie the Ferret are the same size and love to chase each other and wrestle all around the house.

I think he's settled in with no issues.

Here is he is saying 'Hi'

New Edition to the Family

This is Freddie the Ferret:

He is a delayed birthday present for Aurora.  Since her rats didn't live long we wanted to get something that would hopefully last a little longer and be more interactive.  But we knew we were going to Colorado for a week so we decided to wait to get him until after our vacation.  He is 6 months old and she named him, of course.

This is our first time having a ferret, so we made sure to do our research ahead of time.  Last weekend we prepared by cleaning out from under furniture and appliances and "ferret proofed" the main part of the house.  He is neutered and descented, and after a bath he's not too stinky.  He is definitely adorable though!

He loves to chase the kids and the cats around the house, and get into everything he can.  He is obsessed with stuffed animals and drags any he finds to his "stash" under the exercise bike.  He also likes to be held and is very affectionate.  We are litter training him and he's catching on pretty quickly.  At night and when we are gone, Freddie stays in his cage.

So far he's been a great addition.  He and the kids wear each other out and they hardly watch TV because they are too busy playing with him.  Just another animal at our zoo! 

Christmas 2009!

Merry Christmas! We had several days of celebrations and had some very low lows but also some very high highs. It was an emotional time!

We started on Christmas Eve. That afternoon we went to Uncle Martin and Julie's house to spend some holiday time with them. At their house we had appetizers and visited while Aurora and Alex played with their cousins Carter (a year older than Aurora) and Micah (same age as Alex). Both of our families are super busy and we only really get together around Christmas. I was surprised with how well the kids played together. We had a great time!

When we got home the kids put on their new Christmas pajamas and set out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. We then read "The Night Before Christmas" and they went to bed excited.

The plan for Christmas Day was for the kids to get up and do their Santa gifts, and then my family was going to come over around 7:30 to have breakfast and begin our celebration. However, early that morning my grandparents' 9 year old dog, Roxy, suffered a large seizure and was rushed to the emergency vet. It turned out she had a brain tumor and they had to put her sleep, on Christmas morning. It was devastating. I have not even told Aurora yet. She has a stuffed 'Roxy Dog" that she sleeps with every night, and it is going to be hard on her. Roxy will be greatly missed.

Aurora came in our room around 6:15, ready to see what Santa brought her. We got Alex up and let the kids loose! They got lots of good stuff - Aurora got the play-doh and Benadaroos she asked for, they both got an Imaginext space shuttle, and a train table, among other things. Alex was SO excited about the train table! He ran up to it, looked it over, and then raised his eyes to the ceiling and said, "Thank you Santa!" It was cute!

We all got cleaned up and let the kids play with their toys from Santa while we waited to see what my family was going to do. They decided to go ahead and come over, after getting themselves cleaned up and emotionally stable. I think it was a great decision - it is hard to be sad with two excited little children running around! We had a great time opening presents and being with each other. My Mom and Grandma and I made pomegranate martinis with my new martini set and enjoyed it with my Grandma's brie bread bowl! We also played games with the kids and checked out everyone's stuff.

Unfortunately, after nap, Alex woke up with a fever and feeling miserable, just like he did on Thanksgiving! Aurora asked me if he was "allergic to holidays!" He laid around with Grandma and didn't eat much of Christmas dinner. His fever finally came down after dinner and he was able to enjoy himself a little more. Everyone left after dinner but overall it was a wonderful day.

Sunday we celebrated with Josh's family. Alex still was not feeling great but he didn't have a fever. We headed over in the morning and made them breakfast. Then we opened presents and watched movies and enjoyed each others' company. We finished with a huge dinner. It was another great day.

The kids received lots of gifts and lots of love this weekend; it was a wonderful season!

R.I.P. Ratatouille

Last night we noticed that Ratatouille was breathing very heavily, lethargic, has discharge from her nose, and some other symptoms. I did some online research and determined that she was most likely in the terminal stages of mycoplasmosis, an apparently common respiratory disease in rats. The interesting part is the primary symptom that a rat is going to get this disease is frequent sneezing - and Ratatouille has sneezed often since we got her. We thought she just did it when she was excited. Now I wish I had looked into it more.

Anyway I tried to keep her comfortable and do some things we found online to help - nebulizer treatment, chocolate, etc. This morning there was no improvement. So I packed her up, dropped the kids off at Grandma's, and headed to the vet. Unfortunately, Ratatouille had already passed away by the time I got there.

I tried to prepare Aurora. When we bought her rats I warned her that they do not live very long. Last night while we were trying to help Ratatouille, I explained to her that she was sick, that they don't really have good medicine for rats, and it was possible she would die.

When Aurora came home this evening I gave her the news. She was shocked at first, and then cried some, and then asked questions - if she went to Heaven, where is her body, etc. Then she asked if she could hold her other rat. Within the hour she was playing and laughing. I wish I were still so resilient! And I pray that Remy (the other rat) does not come down with it!

Ratatouille was a very cool and smart rat, and we will all miss her.

Memorial Day Weekend

Well it's been a long time since I have been able to post! With Aurora's birthday and then a business trip, we've been super busy around here!

We had a pretty good long weekend, despite daily thunderstorms. We are getting into the monsoon season, where it rains pretty much every evening. On the plus side, my yard is looking really good!

We started the weekend with a BBQ/pool party with some new friends from Aurora's school. The weather wasn't very good but we did get an hour or so of good sunlight for the kids to go crazy in the pool!! It really WAS crazy, and I can't even tell you the number of injuries they had by the end! But everyone had a good time and it was good to make some friends with couples that have kids Alex and Aurora's ages.

On Sunday we went to the children's museum, which is always a big hit. They have some great exhibits and I always enjoy seeing the things the kids can do and comprehend that they couldn't on the last visit. Alex was pretty funny; he refused to remove his sunglasses the whole time we were there!

Today we did some shopping and we ended up with a new edition to the family! Aurora has been telling me lately that our rat, Ratatoullie, is "lonely". I did some reading and rats really are social creatures and I thought maybe she was right. We went to the pet store and checked out the rats and talked to the store associates, and I ended up being talked into another one! So we have a pretty little grey one now, who's name is, appropriately, Remy! Both rats are getting along well and are currently cuddled up together in their bed.

We ended the weekend with some grilled pork chops and ice cream that the kids chased down from the ice cream truck! All in all a good weekend! Here are some pictures: